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Viewscreen
A viewscreen (or main viewer) is an audio/visual device used as early as the 2150s aboard starships, space stations and at planetary facilities by space-faring organizations including Earth Starfleet and the Federation Starfleet, the Borg Collective, the Cardassian Union, the Klingon Empire and the Romulan Star Empire. These devices were used to display various types of images from sensor data and communications signals. General Specifications Generally consisting of a large screen located on the bridge of a starship (or operations center of a space station or starbase), the viewscreen was an almost universal facet of space exploration and colonization dating as far back as the 22nd century, surviving well into the 23rd and 24th centuries. status, 2272]] Typically used to display images of the area immediately around or in front of a starship, the viewscreen could provide views from all directions, as well as call up data from the library computer. It was also essential in ship-to-ship communication, allowing face-to-face conference if so desired, utilizing subspace and other communications systems. Visual contact, however, could only be achieved when in visual range. Intra-ship communications were also possible, though the main viewer was rarely used for this function. ( ; ; ) When necessary, the image on the viewscreen could be magnified - 24th century starships easily gaining a magnification of 106. The image could also be augmented, with the ship's computer displaying extrapolated images or graphics displaying sensor data. ( ; ) Earth Starfleet NX-class Installed as early as 2151 aboard Earth Starfleet vessels including NX class starships, the viewscreen was located on the front bulkhead of the main bridge. Rectangular in shape, the main viewer aboard these vessels provided a wide screen view of the space around the ship, as well as visual communications. They were capable of processing multiple inputs simultaneously, as was sometimes seen when two or more parties wished to have a joint conversation with Enterprise. and Telev in a multi-party communication on Enterprise viewscreen]] In the year 2152, the crew of ''Enterprise'' (NX-01) mounted a sophisticated sensor on the grappler arm allowing their sensors to detect and display onscreen cloaked Suliban and Romulan vessels. ( ) :Dialog in suggests that 22nd century starships that fought in the Earth-Romulan War were without viewscreens, or at least incapable of visual communications. While this supposition was natural, ''Star Trek: Enterprise clearly established viewscreen technology present on Earth vessels, as well as aboard Andorian ships, Klingon ships and many others, while the Romulans seemingly did not (or chose to communicate through audio only).'' Federation Starfleet Constitution-class on Enterprise viewscreen]] Retaining the same basic shape of the Earth Starfleet viewscreen, the main viewer utilized aboard such 23rd century Federation Starfleet vessels as the was mounted at the front of the main bridge and was generally rectangular in shape. displayed on main viewer]] Though a smaller viewscreen (utilized as early as 2254) would be supplanted by a larger one in 2266, the viewscreen aboard the Constitution-class vessel generally displayed images with a blue outline and featured a number of controls mounted to the left and right of the monitor. Capable of the same function as previous versions, this viewscreen model could also be used to display sensor data from within the starship, call up cross sectional diagrams of the ship itself, and display data re-routed from other stations. ( ; ; ) :The iconic viewscreen from ''The Original Series would be the basis for all other versions seen after in the movies or spin-off TV series. The chase lights seen at the bottom of the screen were not present during the two pilot episodes, but would be present with the debut of the more standard viewer in .'' :One of the main foci of the remastering effort has been the replacement of most images seen on TOS viewscreens. Constitution-class refit During its refit in 2270, a new viewscreen was placed on the bridge of the Enterprise, this one much larger and sometimes utilized to display alert status. By 2293, refit Constitution-class starships would incorporate a digital clock mounted at the top of the screen. When the ship was moored in spacedock, the inactive viewscreen would display a generic graphic. ( ; ) :Movie versions of the main viewer aboard the ''Enterprise remained fairly consistent, until the destruction of the original starship and its replacement with the . That ship again featured the familiar chase lights below the monitor as well as a somewhat anachronistic clock. For its appearance in Star Trek V, the screen would (at times) utilize rear-projected images rather than post production burn-ins. It was reused as the viewscreen aboard the and in The Undiscovered Country and with some cosmetic changes.'' Galaxy-class As early as 2364, Federation vessels including starships employed holographic viewscreens. While not projecting solid holographic images, the viewscreen installed on the main bridge of such vessels as the displayed 3-dimensional images, as though observing the image with the naked eye. Larger than that of the Constitution or starships, the viewscreen aboard the Galaxy-class starship featured touch-sensitive controls at the bottom of the screen. Using high resolution, multi-spectral imaging sensor systems and could also be controlled from a panel on the right arm of the command chair or at the ops or tactical stations. ( ) :While it is a subtle effect, the viewscreen seen throughout ''Star Trek: The Next Generation clearly displayed 3-D images. This effect was created in some scenes by providing multiple angles on the viewer, with the image on screen displayed at a corresponding angle, rather than a flat, single angle shot.'' Intrepid-class By the year 2371, starships such as the were equipped with viewscreens also employing holographic technology. Slightly smaller in size, the Intrepid-class viewscreen also differed from those of the Galaxy-class in that a hologrid was present behind the displayed image. When damaged or deactivated, a hologrid, much like that in the ship's holodeck, appeared on the bulkhead. ( ) :While it most likely employed the same technology as the viewscreen aboard the ''Enterprise-D, the viewer seen on Star Trek: Voyager is the only screen to so apparently utilize a hologrid.'' Sovereign-class One of the more unusual viewscreen designs of the 24th century, the main viewer aboard the utilized a holographic image projected onto the front bulkhead of the main bridge. While most viewscreens aboard Federation vessels of the era did use holographic technology, the images they displayed were generally projected within a clearly defined screen area. Not so aboard the Enterprise-E, with the viewscreen appearing from only a small area of projection systems near the floor of the forward bulkhead. When deactivated, the image projected would disappear, leaving only a blank wall in its place. ( ) By 2375, however, such technology would be replaced with a standard format viewscreen installed aboard the Enterprise-E, lasting through 2379 until the forward section of the bridge was destroyed during the Battle of the Bassen Rift. ( ; ) :One of the first and only steps forward from the fairly straight-forward screen first appearing in TOS, the viewscreen seen in seemingly appeared in mid-air. According to the ''Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion however, the producers disliked the blank wall and opted to return the traditional viewer for and .'' Alternate reality In the alternate reality caused by Nero, the s viewscreen was a window which could have images projected on it. ( ) :Screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman created the combination window/viewscreen in order to justify the placement of the bridge at the top of the ship: ::"...it was based on the odd fact that, although the bridge didn’t usually have a window, it was nonetheless situated, much like a naval ship, at a high look out vantage point (which, by the way, seems unnecessarily vulnerable to attack). Rather than move the bridge, we added a window to justify it’s location." http://trekmovie.com/2009/05/22/orci-and-kurtzman-reveal-star-trek-details-in-trekmovie-fan-qa/ Borg Borg cubes were equipped with special viewscreen technology, projecting images onto a free-floating cube-shaped viewer somewhere within the ship. Such a viewer was utilized by Locutus of Borg during the Borg incursion into Sector 001 in 2367. ( ; ) :This was the only incident in which a Borg viewscreen was shown, all other occasions (such as in ) portrayed smaller monitors within the Borg cube. It is likely that such a screen was erected for the newly assimilated Locutus, as the Borg collective consciousness seems to negate any need for one. Cardassian During the 24th century, starships and space stations constructed by the Cardassian Union utilized unique, holographically projected viewscreens. Installed aboard warships and Terok and Empok Nor-type stations, these Cardassian viewers consisted of hollow, oval-shaped frames. Images were projected into these frames, then disappeared when the viewer was deactivated. This same technology was employed in the construction of Cardassian-type viewers. ( ) The ops aboard Deep Space 9 featured a large viewscreen, placed on a wall and allowing view from everywhere on ops. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) Dominion Jem'Hadar ships eschewed traditional viewscreens for a virtual display device. Instead of occupying the forward wall of the bridge, the "viewscreen" was in fact a display within a headset worn by the navigator. The device was not well-tolerated by Humans, who could typically wear it only for short periods. Cardassians, by contrast, were shown to have similar tolerances to Jem'Hadar and Vorta. Klingon As with many things Klingon, viewscreens installed aboard Klingon starships including Birds-of-Prey, warships, and vessels were distinguished by angular shapes. Performing the same basic function as their Federation counterparts, 23rd century Klingon viewscreens aboard such ships as the were able to display tactical information in graphic and photographic formats. ( ; ; ) Romulan Viewscreens aboard Romulan starships, including warbirds functioned very much like their "alien" counterparts during the 24th century. Consisting of screens smaller than those used by the Federation and Klingon Empire, Romulan viewscreens (like that of the ) were rounded-off square shapes, accented with green rectangles at the top of the monitor. As with most starships, the viewscreen was mounted on the foreward bulkhead of the main bridge aboard Romulan vessels. ( ) See also *Holo-communicator *Viewer *Desktop viewer Background In early design drafts for both the and the , the designers contemplated eliminating the viewscreen entirely. Attempts such as the holo-communicator in DS9 and the suspended-in-mid-air viewer in First Contact were made, but ultimately gave way to tradition. The viewscreen was considered an important staple of the Star Trek universe. External link * cs:Hlavní obrazovka de:Hauptbildschirm Category:Communications technology